child sponsorship Myanmar | Perfecting Pru

I know that lots of you see this post through a reader and I urge you to read on and at least think about child sponsorship and how a little money can make a great difference.

~ Pru

Charity has been on my mind a lot over these past couple of weeks. Richmond, the town where I live, is home to the Poppy Factory where hundreds of thousands of poppies are made each year to commemorate Remembrance Day and it seemed that wherever I went there were people selling poppies.

It’s easy to remember and think about something when it is right in front of you. I admit freely that Myanmar hasn’t been at the front of my mind.

Since becoming a Blogger for Action Aid I try to stay more informed about the work that the charity is doing. ActionAid is asking people across the UK to celebrate Child Sponsorship Week and make a huge change to all the people who have endured decades of struggle and uncertainty in Burma/Myanmar and elsewhere in the developing world.

There are 1,600 children in Burma to sponsor but worldwide there are nearly 5,000 children that need sponsorship in 17 countries.

My decision to start sponsoring Gift in Malawi last year through Action Aid at first seemed like quite an undertaking. £15 per month seemed like a lot of money and I was thinking of all the Starbucks I would be foresaking! But the truth is, I spend money ridiculously. £1 for an avocado the other day to top up a lunch that I had already purchased in M&S for £3. That’s eight days of sponsoring Gift to give her the opportunity to go to school and be clothed and fed.

For just 50p a day sponsors have the opportunity to change a child’s and community’s future not just for today but forever. For information on how to get involved and transform a child’s life visit www.actionaid.org.uk/child.

I love sponsoring Gift. I like thinking about a stranger in another country and what she is doing and her how family are and what she is learning at school. I also like that I am in the privileged position to be able to help someone else have a better change at life. And I reckon that most of the people reading this blog have the ability to sponsor.

What does 50p buy nowadays anyway?

~ Pru

I have taken a break from my blogging vacation to write about something that is very dear to my heart. No, not the Olympics or food. Much, much more important. Action Aid and child sponsorship. Ever since I started to sponsor Gift through Action Aid last year I have found that it has given me more purpose. You know when you have a really rough day and just want to stay in bed and watch old episodes of The West Wing? Those days are the days when I remember that I am contributing towards someone else’s life and not just my own. Those days are the days when I look at the photo on my office wall of Gift and she strives me on. I have more purpose now.

Last Friday sitting in the living room with mum and dad eating our buffet dinner and glued to the TV we all remarked that we had not heard of some of the countries parading through the Olympic stadium. I was pleased to see a map in the paper the next day pointing out some of the tiny countries sitting in the Carribbean that had escaped my attention.

Myanmar, formerly Burma, needs no introduction. I think that everyone has heard of Aung San Suu Kyi and I am sure that we all nodded as the athletes waved to the audience on Friday recognising another country competing. But when Action Aid asked what I knew about Myanmar I commented that I would have to do some Googling. Truth is, I know very little, and sure, Google and Wikipedia will spout out the facts of how many live in the country and who there government is run by, but I don’t think that’s really what Action Aid were asking. So, I’m holding my hands up. I know nothing about the country apart from where it is situated (near to China and India). That’s it. And it sort of made me sad that I didn’t know that much about the country, or many other countries in the world. I am so looking forward to finding out more on the 15th August.

Just as I knew nothing about Malawi when I started to sponsor Gift through Action Aid last year, I have learnt alot about that country, continually seeking to learn more.

Action Aid are holding a Bloggers Summer Party on the 15th August in Clerkenwell, London. I attended the Bloggers Tea Party for Action Aid earlier this year and it was such a great time to meet with fellow bloggers, to learn more about Action Aid and to have a fun afternoon. This time around they have Jimi Mistry of East is East fame talking about what child sponsorship means to him and the work of Action Aid. To book a place today click here. Gemma and Penny will be there doing a brainstorming blogging section which I think is going to be quite hilarious and good fun. And of course I will be there too (what more could you want!) It will be a great event to learn more about Action Aid and especially the work that they are doing in Myanmar.

~ Pru

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